Photo by Tom Sinclair
It has been a few weeks since the last update and I have been waiting on news from our lawyer on a closing date. Unfortunately, we don't have one yet. So many people are excited about seeing the Center, teaching classes, holding events, and just using our electricity for the Dryden Holiday Celebration on Saturday, December 6th. Hopefully we will be in the building by then, but we are just in a holding pattern for the moment.
Photo by Jaime Cone Hughes
Exciting things are happening in Dryden! This spring, the Village was awarded a $4,500,000 NY Forward grant to fund projects that will transform our community. On Thursday, September 18, local businesses and organizations will share their proposed projects at a public workshop from 6-8 PM at the Dryden Fire Hall on North Street. This is a great opportunity for you to comment on how the proposed projects will fit with your vision for our best future.
Photo by Tom Sinclair
A community center in Dryden has been a dream for many, many years. While there have been some efforts to create an accessible community space, such as the Dryden Community Cafe, finding the right space has always been an issue. In the spring of 2025, the community learned that the Dryden United Methodist Church would be closing its doors as a house of worship. A dwindling congregation and wider societal trends made it financially unfeasible for them to continue in the tradition that has kept this building and its programs a vital part of the Dryden community for almost 200 years. This sad turn of events has been able to be turned into an opportunity for the wider community.
Photo by Tom Sinclair
Have you ever wondered why there isn't already a community center in Dryden? Have you attended a pancake breakfast at the Varna Community Association or a party at the Brooktondale Community Center and thought to yourself, why don't we have this in Dryden? As a parent, have you considered enrolling your child in music lessons only to be frustrated by how far you have to drive to find an instructor? Have you ever tried to sign up for a program at the library but were told that the space was full? Have you attended a performance at the high school and wished that there were more opportunities to see live theater in Dryden?
DrydenCenter.org